“I have never been attracted by younger men,” Brigitte told Elle, according to The Times. “That thought never occurred to me. Of course, we have breakfast, me with my wrinkles and him with his freshness, but that’s the way it is.”

“It was I who told Emmanuel to finish his studies in Paris because I thought it would be better for him,” she told Elle. She added that “there was nothing between us at the time, but the gossip went on.”

Nevertheless, the Elysée Palace on Monday published a “transparency charter” acknowledging Brigitte’s official role in representing France at home and abroad. She would neither receive a salary nor have her own budget, but would have an office director and a chief of staff.

The charter did not mention the total cost or number of staff Brigitte will have, but the Associated Press reported earlier this month that Brigitte had an office at the Elysée Place, two advisers, two secretaries, and bodyguards.

France has not had a formal first lady since François Hollande took office in 2012, but Brigitte likened the role of the First Lady as a “gift” for her to carry out various duties and engagements.

“It’s very clear in my mind that the French elected Emmanuel, not me,” she told Elle. “But they knew, of course, that we were a couple.”

Brigitte Macron’s full interview was published in Elle’s print magazine on Friday.